fyi

k sorry everyone for the odd pictures. Jeremy has joined a fantasy football league and was given a hard time for not doing any smack talk. So Jeremy found a way to smack talk in a quiet way. His team is "The Balding Eagles" ( it's ok to laugh. I laughed to the point of tears) and the little bird the Eagle is clutching is a kiwi, the person accusing Jeremy not being able to smack talk masscot is the "carniverous kiwis" So Jeremy now feels he has smacked his best smack talk. I'll post a real post soon enough with our summer adventures.

songs

songs you listen to when you are
happy, Chicago-Saturday in the Park (4th of July)
sad, Where can I turn for Peace
bored, ( i don't register that feeling in other words there is no way i can be bored i'm a mom of 4)
hyped, I gotta feeling BEP
mad Perfect- simple plan

Something I'm proud of

Well where as Pride is on of my greatest qualities this could be a very long list but we'll keep it simple,

1. St.Patrick's Day: Growing up St. Patty's day was a day where if we didn't wear green in my house you'd get pinched hardcore by not only your pesky brothers but my parents where just as mean. My mom would make Green pancakes and that would be about the extent of it all.
We've started making this holiday our own and it's a lot more fun than the stress of getting pinched by your Mom. The kids now try to catch a leperchaun, we still eat green food but it is an all day event and we even eat rainbows. I'll post pictures soon of our great fun.

2. March Maddness....my brackets are in decent shape and I love watching the cougars play despite my lack of degree from said school.

3. My Sunbeam lesson today was off the hook.....or on.....it was about fish. Honestly when I read the lesson I laughed....I was supposed to teach a lesson about how we are thankful for fish, and keep the attention of 6-10 3 yr old boys....for an entire hour....but I did. I brought a ton of props, found every fish related story in the scriptures, made a fishing pole and put together some super cute fish goodie bags with swedish fish and goldfish, and I made a foam fish that the kids had a blast with. By the end of class the kids were sad to go. They paid attention and we even talked about past lessons and how this all went together. When we got home from church Will was still talking about the lesson and this guy named Joooonahb and how we was swallowed by a huge fish and how the fish threw him up on a beach and told the town to be good and they were. Close enough.

short term goals

sheesh: when you're a new mom of 4 your only real goal is to make it through the next 24 hours..but I guess to make a list could be helpful:

1. Figure out what we are going to do for our family vacation, spring break is fast approaching and I'm feeling torn about where to go. I'm craving the sunny beaches of CA but the thought of driving with a 4 month old baby is making me think something a little closer to home might be the way to go. choices choices.
2. Organize just 1 closet somewhere in my house.
3. Get my 5k time back to a decent time.
4. Sadly buy some fat pants....this weight is not dropping very fast.
5. Spend some quality time with that Hot guy who comes home every night and saves me from my kids.

the end.

the biggest impact

so my internet has been down for the past few days which means i'm going to be playing catch up. For this particular subject I could say so many things. My parents have had a huge impact on my life, my children and of course Jeremy but to be honest none of those things would have mattered as much without this:

I think I knew long before my years in Young Women that I was a daughter of God but the feeling was completly cemented in me after my years there. I feel so blessed to have this knowledge there are so many people out there who are lost and afraid. This simple truth that I am a daughter of God protects me from so many fears. I know that because I am a daughter of God that I came to earth with a purpose designed by my Father. I know that because I am a daughter of God I have infinite potential. I know that because I am a daughter of God I will ALWAYS have a loving Heavenly Father who wants me to succeed and has given me the tools and ability to succeed. I know that because I am a daughter of God I can have confidence in who I am because I am just one spiritual generation from the creator of all. I know that because I am a daughter of God Jesus Christ is my brother and friend and gave me the gift of the atonement so that I can return to that loving Father in Heaven.

It's nothing complex but rather very simple. But it is this simple truth that has had the biggest impact on my life and will Forever inspire me to change and become closer to my divine potential, a daughter of God.

My favorite super hero

Well as a kid I was well exposed to many superheros from He-man to She-ra, the teenage mutant ninja turtles, spiderman, batman, superman and of course the Xmen. But if I have to pick just one I think I'd have to pick Batman. I loved watching the adventures of Batman and Robin all the time. I think there's something incredibly noble about someone who has it all and tries to make the world a better place.

But of course Superman is a close 2nd.





love my Superman!

A picture of where I've been today

I was totally pumped for this post. My day was planned out I was going to go for a run on the treadmill, shower, get Abby and Will ready for a playdate and then go grocery shopping and lamp shopping with Evalyn. I was going to take my camera with me and take cute little shots of things I bought. Cute faces Evalyn made while we were shopping. Then I was going to come home upload my card and make a super cute post about my fantastic day shopping.....Then Will had a different idea......



At 11:42 p.m. Will woke up screaming, he said he needed to use the potty so I helped him into the bathroom and let him do his business, walked him back to his room and tucked him into his cute little car bed. 12:13 a.m. Will woke back up screaming so I went in his room and he said he had a fever but the thermometer said different. 1:30 am again the huge SCREAM and that's when I knew it was going to be a looooong night. So we spent the next 3 hours here:

He said his ear hurt so I found that he would sleep if he was sitting up which meant I needed to sit up when I woke myself back up at 4:00 he was out and my neck hurt. I tucked him back into his bed and prayed that he would sleep a little longer.

4:30 little cries this time from this little one:

I know it just breaks your heart but I just stuck the binkie back in her mouth and prayed that I could get a little more sleep. Will woke up at 5: 30 crying and whimpering some more, I patted his back till he fell back asleep but not before he begs to be taken to the doctor. I climb back into bed when a little whimper from Evalyn comes from her bed so I pick her up and bring her back to my bed to feed her but we both fall asleep before I get her fed. Jeremy gives me a little kiss at 6 and I hear Will moaning some more but I'm just too tired to get to him. We all stay asleep till 7 when Evalyn decides she needs to actually eat and Will has somehow made his way into my bed and is asking me to take him to the hospital so he can get better.

That's when the rest of my day begins, I know that the run is out of the question. I know that naps won't happen for me and the playdate is out and thus the store is out. So this is where I've been today.


Snuggling this little guy. The dr. didn't have any appt open today. And by mid morning he stopped complaining about his ear although he did peak a little fever to which Will said "See, I told you I had a fever."

I also gave the little princess a bath when Will finally fell asleep.

I dreamt about taking a nap in my bed, look how comfy it looks, *sigh*, and someday I'll go lamp shopping to put on those cute new night stands.

but the good news is he finally fell asleep, here's hoping tonight will be a much better night for all of us, cuz this mama needs her sleep.

The end.

My worst habit.

Facebook. Facebook is a fantastic tool and honestly a great way to keep up on friends and neighbors and such but sometimes I think I spend too much time on there or worry too much about it. Thus Facebook is probably my worst habit I have. The END.

friends

Today is supposed to be a picture of me and my friends. I kind of really suck at taking pictures with my friends. I have a few but I hope those of my friends who I don't post here understand that I'll be coming to their doors soon with a camera and blind rush them with a flash from my camera.







Sometimes a friend is someone who took care of you and taught you everything you know and watched you grow and grow and knows all of your mistakes and shortcomings but still tells you that you are amazing.


Sometimes a friend is someone who says "Hey let's run a half marathon together" then comes to your house all the time and tells you that you're running and it's going to be awesome and kicks your butt doing it but you are so glad that she did so that you could end with a decent time at the end of the race. (sad part is when said friend moves and leaves you to find out running by yourself is hard.)

Friends are willing to dress up in camo even when you don't, even though you said you would, and play an awesome game of laser tag as a grown woman.



Friends will also introduce you to awesome places to eat like Zuppas and then convince their husbands and your husband to go dancing only to ditch them at the dance to take a picture with each other because how cool is it that you are all dancing together.

but honestly, the best kind of friend is the one that provides for you so that you can live your dream of staying home with your amazing kids. The kind of friend that LOVES you for everything that you are and everything you've been and everything you could be. The kind of friend you want to stay with forever and ever, the one you laugh with, the one you cry with, the one that makes you feel like a better person with just a smile. This is the kind of friend I like the most and really feel lucky that I was able to marry him and have such a beautiful family with him. Ya he's the best kind of friend.

Blog name

Blog name:
umm my blog name is In IT together. I may be weird but sometimes I forget that Jeremy and I are married and that we are married for ETERNITY. One of these lapses of memory hit me one day and as I watched Jeremy try to help me with all the kids I realized that we really were in it together. Everything. We are here for each other working through all these changes and stages together. So thus my blog name we are in IT together forever and ever amen.

Who is that lady?

1. I love my hair color. I know I'll be sad when I get to that point where I have to start dying my hair, (I found another gray hair last night, I yank those babies out so fast.) There are dyes that are close to my color but nothing seems to hit it right on. So I'll enjoy my rich dark brown hair while I can.
2. Growing up with 5 boys was very challenging but I wouldn't trade a single one of them in for a sister. My mom was smart enough to put me in ballet to help maintain balance but because of the dominat male presence in our home I grew up watching a lot of sports, not really playing, I'm not much of an athlete.
3. With that said I am a huge sport spectator. I love watching football, basketball, baseball (only live I can't stand it on tv) and of those sports I really love collegic sports the most. We recently purchased a new TV. I thought it was too big till Jeremy had me watch a basketball game on it in HD and all I could think was "I can't wait for March Maddness."
4. I didn't become a decent runner till after my 3rd baby.
5. In fact I never hated my body but I loved the way I looked/felt after Will hit a year. I keep reminding myself that I'll get there again but that I think was the only hard thing with our decision to get pregnant with Evalyn was knowing I'd have to start that whole process all over again.
6. My entire house can be a complete mess, toys thrown everywhere, floors dirty, windows and mirrors fingerpainted with snot, laundry falling all over the place but if the dishes are done and my bed is made I can handle the mess. In fact that's where I have to start is with the dishes they are the first thing that has to be done when I start cleaning the house.
7. My first time I ever used a dishwaser was when I moved to Logan in my 3rd year of college to Old Farm. and I rarely used it then, but now if I have to handwash a dish it's a pretty big deal.
8. I tend to talk too much and say really stupid stuff, nearly ALL the time.
9. I hate perfume and cologne for that matter. If I want to smell good I hope that the combination of my shampoo, body wash, lotion and deodarant are enough.
10. I have to read something when I'm eating breakfast, I usually try to read my scriptures or an article in the ensign but if they aren't available I'll read the cereal box inculding the ingredients and all nutritional information.
11. I am not an organized person but I love organizing events...big huge events where lots of people come and have a good time. It's incredibly fulfilling to me.
12. Teaching Sunbeams has been THE most challenging calling I've ever had. EVER.
13. I love all 4 seasons and although some seem to last longer than others I try my best to enjoy them the best I can.
14.Being a mother has more than exceeded my expectations, not because I'm a rockin' awesome mom but the more mothering I do the more I realize that my Heavenly Father is AMAZING, my parents are incredible and I really did pick the best guy in the universe to help me parent. Oh and my kids are incredibly adorable, beautiful and absolutely brilliant!
15. I like my picture taken. I think I photograph well except when I'm 25 lbs over weight...breathe...breathe..it'll happen, 6 months I can do it in 6 months...and if not it's ok...she was so worth it.




Yep, I like my hair color, yep my cheeks are bit fuller than what I like and my eyes really do look tired.......... but................ it's................ not............too.............. terrible. I guess.

for the love

So my cute SIL's are doing this and to be honest I need to fall in love with my blog again. Maybe then I can post the great things that happen to my family a little more promptly instead of, you know, like, 30 days after it happens. So here it goes, a 30 day challenge...let's see if I can do it.

1- recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
2- the meaning behind your blog name
3- a picture of you and your friends
4- a habit that you wish you didn’t have
5- a picture of somewhere you've been today
6- favorite super hero and why
7- a picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
8- short term goals for this month and why
9- something you're proud of in the past few days
10- songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, hyped, mad
11- another picture of you and your friends
12- how you found out about blogger and why you have one
13- a letter to someone
14- a picture of you and your family
15- put your ipod on shuffle: first 10 songs that play
16- another picture of yourself
17- someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
18- plans/dreams/goals you have
19- nicknames you have and why you have them
20- someone you love
21- a picture of something that makes you happy
22- what makes you different from everyone else
23- something you crave for a lot
24- your last five facebook status'
25- what I would find in your bag
26- what do you think about your friends
27- why are you doing this 30 day challenge
28- a picture of you from last year and now, how have you changed since then?
29- in this past month, what have you learned
30- your favorite song

Valentines

Happy Valentines Day! ummm like 3 weeks ago, still the same here's some pics of our love day. Hello 4 beautiful kids, I may be a little biased but my kids sure are A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E

curse Lizzie for thinking making her eyes weird is funny. This would have been a perfect picture of my three little girls!

Evalyn's not too sure about all the lovin' she gets on a regular basis.

We made pink I HEART U pancakes.

Turned out super cute.

I had to do Lizzie's heart hair. People have asked me how to do it. Honestly it's super easy.

The only thing that made my heart sad was this picture. She's growing up so fast, I wish there was a way to make time go a little slower.

Blessing Day

So We blessed sweet Evalyn last month and I'm just getting around to posting some of the cute pictures of the special day. (Confession, I didn't take any pictures of her on her blessing day so the Tuesday after I put her back in the dress and took my time with the adorable little one.)

I bought the dress the week after I found out we were having a girl. It was so pretty and fantastic price (12 dollars!) Every time I saw it hanging in the closet I thought if she comes out a boy I'm just going to die!

but of course she came out just as girl as she could. Thank goodness.

I'm not a BIG hairbow girl, I have this thing with head to bow size ratio so this sweet little clip was just perfect.

My SIL gave us this sweet little bracelet and it added just the right amount of pink.

She is such a smiler. I love every second of it!

We were really blessed to have 3 of Evalyn's great grandparents here for the blessing.

Holy cow that is our family! A family of 6! When we moved out here 5 years ago we had just became a family of 4. Crazy how fast time goes by.

My Grandma Swenson, The blanket in the first pictures was actually made by her grandmother for my Dad's blessing day. It's a beautiful blanket and each of my kids have been blessed in it.

We've been sick...

Well in case you were wondering we've been super sick at our house for the past...I don't know...forever. I'm hoping were all on our way to healthy sunshine days soon. But since I'm trying to stay down a little more I'd thought I'd blog what we've been up to for the past little while.

Will has spent the past weeks in his pjs and on this particular day put on his snow boots and decided to hunt me, (i've been a bad guy for awhile so i guess i had it comin').

Sundays have been a little rough trying to get use to the new schedule but the kids have been able to keep themselves pretty entertained.

Abby was nicked name the poision princess...a little dark of a name for someone so cute!

Lizzie was some sort of super flying dog, but honestly she was the ultimate peace maker finding compromises for her brother and sister so everyone was happy as they played.

Action pose: BAM! Batman will get you everytime.

The Super Sunday Night Squad: vanquishing boredom wherever they play.



Abby had a field trip to the local firestation. Will was so excited to come along he loves Firetrucks and Abby was excited to get a fire hat. They do such a great presentation for the kids. It was tons of fun

Will was so excited to see all the noisy firetrucks but was a little embarassed when the fireman helped him honk the horn and turn on the siren. He wasn't expecting them to be that loud.

Ya that's how a real fireman sits in his firetruck.





Evalyn is growing and will be a whole 2 months next week. I took these pictures on her 5th week. She's now coughing with the rest of us. I'm watching her like a hawk to make sure that RSV crap keeps away. But she's a tough little girl.

Oh the sweetness. I wish it could last just a little bit longer.

Her hair is by far one of my favorite things about her. When it's freshly washed it stands straight up and feels just like a fluffy baby chick.

I haven't been a very good mom and taken pictures of her with her eyes open only because when those little peepers are staring at me I can't tear myself away from them. There is something hypnotizing when her eyes are open and I want to suck in every single moment.

I love this blanket. It is so soft and she looks so precious in it. You can see how dark her hair really is in the back and it's long too boot! i'll be sad when it all falls out it'll probably come back blonde like everyone else.

We'll end this post with the little ends of Evalyn. Happy Tuesday!

Happy Birthday Honey

I really should post something new and wonderful but being a momma of 4 has some serious time limits. So sorry Jeremy I'll have to be creative for your birthday at a later date. On the plus side two years ago I was really creative so here's a link to a post I did. It' not like regifting...it's more like visiting a really good present from the past. Lots of Love to my Super Man. Happy Birthday Jer!

Evalyn Kay

So I'm not promising the most brilliant story but I thought I'd share some of the particulars of how Evalyn came.
Saturday after a family Christmas party in Logan I started contracting pretty good. I just knew I'd be going in to labor as soon as my parents got to my house. Sure enough that night at about 2 my contractions were about 7 minutes apart and intense. After about 2 hours they stopped. I just thought for sure they'd come back but they never did. Monday Jeremy went to work and I just knew I was going to have to call him home from work but wouldn't you know he came home at his normal time. We had a nice dinner and then changed the kids into their pj's kissed them good-bye and calmly drove to the hospital. I really hoped that when they checked me I would be dialted to at least a 3 and they would send me home to come back the next morning to be induced but I was still at a 1. They gave me a pill that helps soften my cervix and told me to brace myself for lots of cramping and contractions. I slept fantasticly. They started me on the pit at 5:30 a.m. and by 10 a.m. I was only at a 3. I was lucky enough to have my really good friend Shelly as my nurse she let me know that the ansthelogist would be unavailable for awhile and suggested getting my epidural right then. I really wanted to wait till I got to a 4. Then Shelly reminded me that there was no magical number for an epidural so I got one. I was so glad, lo and behold that the anstheologist used to be in my ward, and was sooo awesome. My best epidrual by far. As soon as I got the epidural my body just let go and I started dialating so quick. My dr had been in and out of my room just kind of waiting for things to get moving, he talked to Jeremy a lot. My dr used to be an electrical engineer. He is such a cool guy, he grew up in Israel and has had a very amazing life. I was hanging out at a 6 forever and then I told the dr. that a watched pot never boils, we laughed and he stepped out of the room for just a second to take a call and sure enough I felt the pressure. I told Shelly and she checked me sure enough I was ready. The dr came in got me in position offered to Jeremy to catch the baby which he politely declined. I told them I was ready to push and as soon as her head and shoulders were out they told me to reach down and grab her. Totally caught me off gaurd but it was so cool. And there she was this beautiful little girl crying and all of this hair on the back of her head. Jeremy cut the cord and they started cleaning her up. It was such a relaxed feeling, her cries were polite and I could tell Jeremy was immeadetly taken with her.

Here stats put her in at my smallest baby so far at 6lbs 7 oz and 19.5 inches. Everyone asks me who she looks like. I think she looks like all three of them but Jeremy sees a lot of Abby.
Her name is really special. Eva was my grandma whom I was incredibly close with and still miss even though she's been gone for 15 years and Lyn is my middle name. Every time I say her name I can't help but think a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. She is so peaceful and brings a very special spirit with her. I can't imagine going through Christmas without her. It really was a blessed holiday. The kids are all in LOVE with her especailly Will, who has taken the rold of big brother very seriously. Abby asked me when we got home from the hospital if we were a family now. It really made me smile we for sure seem like a family.
Here are some pix to enjoy:

Momma and Baby with a little face time.

Our family.

Lizzie is such a great big helper. It's so nice to have big kids at home.

Abby really wanted to name her Rainbow Flower and has a hard time remembering her name but Loves that they have the same hair color.

Will is so gentle with her and is mindful of his "noisy" toys and puts them away when she's near him.

She is soooo little. All of her clothes seem so big on her but I know it doesn't last very long.

Having Evalyn here before Christmas was so amazing. We are so grateful that she is here safe and sound and love the special spirit she brings.